Today’s scripture: Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Carla Peck):
Reading this scripture reminds me of my decision to make a mid-life career change to become a paralegal. I was infatuated with the mystique that surrounds the work of doctors and lawyers and wanted to be a part of that!
Also, I evaluated the pros and cons of my then-current job as a supervisor in a customer service call center and decided that I really liked (and was really good at) writing memorandums, letters, and policies and procedures. As a supervisor, I loved reading and interpreting the employee handbook and applying its rules and regulations to progressive employee discipline situations that I was charged with handling. My manager wanted the employee handbook followed precisely and consistently with respect to each employee, and I wasn’t about to disappoint my manager. It was up to me to sort through the circumstances, define the situation, reduce uncertainty as much as possible, and then make a recommendation. Certainly the sum of these characteristics, with additional legal education, would make me a top-notch a paralegal.
Well they have, sort of. As I have become older and more seasoned in my profession, though, I have seen that there are sometimes benefits with not being quite so precise, that sometimes a little uncertainty is okay. As I encounter more life experiences, become acquainted with more people (especially people who are unlike me), witness more situations, and study more about Jesus, I have learned to embrace uncertainty more. I have learned to embrace the “gray areas” in any situation more than I ever thought possible. I’m not saying that I have thrown the rule book away though, as there are definitely situations where rules need to be followed or our society would become chaos.
In today’s reading, my favorite part of this scripture (as read in The Message version of the Bible) is:
“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures — either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama.”
The “vast panorama” is what intrigues me. I think Jesus is telling us that the vast panorama could be anything that incorporates grace and mercy into the law. The vast panorama could mean embracing uncertainty, faith, things that are not seen, expecting the unexpected, realizing that things aren’t always what they seem, and much more. The more I study Jesus, the more begin to embrace uncertainty.
Thought for the day: In what situations do I need to be more patient with uncertainty?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.